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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bound · mine · net · ball · deal · mouse · lie · cell

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bound — tied together
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. net — for catching
  5. lie — to recline
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mine — for digging
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bound — certain
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bound — obliged
  20. deal — to handle
  21. cell — a phone
  22. ball — a dance
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — in a prison

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com